Chris Paul delivered his best 14-of-14 shots to take Phoenix Suns to the second round of the NBA playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans. The night was the one to remember as he gave his signature series performance by listing 33 points on the board.
Phoenix Suns took the lead to win the game by 115-109 in Game 6 on Thursday night.
His 10-foot pull-up at the end of the game with 28 seconds left captured much attention. Eyes focused on the basket as the ball danced around the rim before giving them the point.
His team needed the performance delivered by Chris Paul after Devin Booker missed more than three games after sustaining a hamstring injury. Devin Booker did make a comeback in the game on Thursday after he felt that his body was ready and charged to score a few baskets.
He left with an impact of 13 points, one of which came when the timer had 1:42 left on the dashboard. The move turned out to be a turning point as Phoenix Suns gained the lead against Pelicans at this very second.
Devin Booker said that one gains a lot of confidence while playing along with Chris Paul, adding that nobody had seen this 14-for-14 before. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Chris Paul going for 11 shots outside the paint without a miss happened for the first time in the 15-years of history.
Ayton and Paul achieved a feat wherein their combined field goal percentage stood at 92.3% with 24-for-26, the highest in the playoffs in the shot-clock era.
Chris Paul said after the game that he had no clue about the shots but realized that he needed to shoot a little bit more. Chris Paul faced resistance from the Pelicans with seven different defenders looking to protect the scoreboard.
However, Deandre Ayton repeatedly stood at his favorite spots to make comfortable baskets in the game.
The Phoenix Suns retaliated by designing a cover-up for Brandon Ingram, the star performer of the Pelicans. Thanks to Coach Monty Williams’s strategy, Brandon Ingram could only make 8-of-17 shots, putting up 21 points with 11 rebounds.
Throwing in double teams on Brandon Ingram did come in handy after all.
ESPN Stats & Information research quoted that Chris Paul coming up with a combined 18-of-18 on-field goals and free throws made him the fifth player to achieve this perfection in the shot clock era and the first one in NBA Playoffs.
Coach Monty Williams quoted an inner phrase saying that the team celebrates everything. When a player like Chris Paul gives so much to the game by investing in the position, one surely wants to recognize that performance.
Chris Paul said that he does not believe in heat checks, and he does not shoot enough to take the heat check. He added that he was able to get to his spots for the basket.
